The Assistant Director
by ALotLikeJJ
Summary: There’s been a ‘new girl’ roaming the halls and MTAC balcony of NCIS for a while now. Just who is she, and what is her story? AU because Jenny still exists. Rated M for anticipated future content.
1. He's always late

**Title:** The Assistant Director.

**Rating:** M for anticipated future content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything affiliated with NCIS. Sadly.

**Summary:** There's a 'new girl' roaming the halls (and MTAC balcony) of NCIS. Just who is she, and what is her story? AU because Jenny still exists. Rated M for anticipated future content.

* * *

Chapter 1: He's always late.

* * *

Tony checked his watch for the third time in what seemed like a minute as he jogged towards the elevator in the muggy indoor parking garage of NCIS, cursing the minute hand for not having moved backwards. He was relieved to only have to wait a few minutes for the elevator door to open instead of the usual ten, and was checking his watch again when he heard the shrill female voice call out,

"Hold the doors!"

Quickly, he stuck a hand out to reverse the motion of the closing doors of the elevator, casting his eyes to the heavens to silently ask what he did to deserve this. His displeasure quickly faded, however, when he saw the person that the voice belonged to. She entered the elevator in a hurry, expertly keeping her balance in her four-inch heels as she took a tighter grip on the coffee cup in her left hand and the file folders that her right arm was hugging to what Tony noticed to be a very tiny frame.

"Shit, I'm so late." She muttered under her breath, and cast her brown eyes up to meet Tony's green ones. "Thanks. For holding the door?" She said breathlessly, adding the last part at the confusion that played in his eyes, and giving her left shoulder a little shrug to prevent her handbag strap from slipping from it.

"What floor?" Tony asked, and the tiny blonde gave her head a light shake.

"I'll just get off on yours." She said. She turned towards him as she took a sip from her coffee cup and smiled. "You're Special Agent DiNozzo, right? You're on Special Agent Gibbs' team."

"Yeah. Tony." Tony replied quickly, nodding his head, not bothering to question her on how she knew that piece of information. It wasn't like he didn't know about the stories about him that floated around the office rumour mill.

"Special Agent Jessica Shaw." She said. "I'd shake hands and everything, but..." She trailed off, looking down at her occupied hands, and Tony chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, it's cool." He said, watching as Jessica twisted the arm that was holding the rather intimidating-looking pile of file folders in it to look at her watch, and then looked up at Tony, smirking a bit. "Gosh, you're about...forty minutes later than I am."

"Traffic..." Tony started, and Jessica jumped in.

"Is a bitch around here, I know." She said, laughing a bit, and Tony chuckled. The two stood in silence for the short time that was left in the elevator ride. The doors opened with a dinging sound, and Tony let Jessica step out first. "Have a good day, Special Agent DiNozzo." She said over her shoulder as she walked off, and Tony smiled.

"Thanks, you too." Tony called after her, and then made his way further into the squad room and towards his desk, bracing himself for the blow that would be Gibbs' anger when he realized how late Tony actually was.

* * *


	2. So is she

**Title:** The Assistant Director.

**Rating:** M for anticipated future content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything affiliated with NCIS. Sadly.

**Summary:** There's a 'new girl' roaming the halls (and MTAC balcony) of NCIS. Just who is she, and what is her story? AU because Jenny still exists. Rated M for anticipated future content.

* * *

Chapter 2: So is she.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jessica said as she breezed through the spacious office she shared with NCIS Director Jenny Shepard, praying to whoever was in the heavens above to let her keep her job. She was slightly surprised to hear Jenny chuckle from her desk, slipping her reading glasses off and setting them down on the papers she'd been flipping through.

"Jess, I've told you time and time again, there's really no such thing as being late when you're the Assistant Director." She said, and Jessica allowed herself to smile, although it did nothing for her current stress level. "Cynthia left some messages for you on your desk about thirty minutes ago." Jenny said, and Jessica nodded, looking at the pink slips that were tucked underneath the paperweight next to her telephone.

"Thanks." Jessica said, and sat down at her desk, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment. The drive to work alone stressed her out more than the job itself ever could, she thought to herself, and took a sip from her now lukewarm coffee. The two women sat in comfortable silence for most of the morning, making small talk now and again when things got particularly boring and phone calls weren't being made.

"Hey, do you think I could ask you a favor?" Jenny asked, and Jessica automatically nodded, not bothering to wait and hear what the favor was. "There was this high-profile case that came in this morning. I'm going to give it to Special Agent Gibbs' team, but I've got a video conference at the same time I scheduled the briefing." The older readhead added, and Jessica cringed internally. She hated video conferences. "Would you be good with briefing the team for me?"

"Sure. What time did you schedule the briefing for?" Jessica said, widening her eyes in relief as she flipped her day planner open and grabbed a pen.

"Ten thirty." Jenny said, and Jessica nodded as she jotted a note to herself in her day planner. "Here in the office." Jenny added, answering Jessica's next question before she even got to ask it. "I've got to go do a few things, but we'll talk over lunch, alright? Cynthia is ordering in Chinese."

"Sounds great." Jessica said. Jenny picked up a file folder and set it down on Jessica's desk.

"That's the file." She said, and Jessica nodded.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later." She said as Jenny exited the office, then picked up the folder and began reading, leaning back in her chair and resting her feet on top of the mini file cabinet beside her desk.

x-x-x

"DiNozzo, if you're ever this late again, I'll have you demoted to janitorial services so fast your head'll spin." Gibbs barked as Tony attempted to sneak to his desk unseen, like a student late for class.

"Sorry, boss, traffic." Tony said, and flashed one of his winning smiles, hoping it'd get him off the hook.

"Don't care." Gibbs said flippantly as he stood from his seat, grabbed his coffee cup in one hand and a stack of file folders in the other and started on his way out of the squad room, not before slapping the files down on Tony's desk. "That should keep you from daydreaming about that blonde in the elevator." Gibbs commented before disappearing, and Ziva and McGee could barely stifle their laughter.

"As Senior Field Agent," Tony started, separating the pile of folders on his desk into two large piles and one small one, "It's my job to delegate." He said, placing a large pile on Ziva and McGee's desks.

"Tony, we already have our own piles of paperwork." McGee said, glaring at the tall brunette as he made his way back to his desk.

"Yes, we're blogged down with work already." Ziva said, not realizing her mistake.

"The phrase is _bogged_ down, Ziva, a blog is an online journal." Tony corrected quickly, taking a seat at his desk. He had just begun to settle into thinking about how he should hit the gym after work when McGee spoke.

"Hey, I just got an email. Who the heck is Assistant Director Special Agent Shaw, and why are they briefing us for that high-profile case instead of Director Shepard?" He said, and Tony shrugged.

"I didn't even know we had an Assistant Director here." He said. "It must be pretty recent, my undercover stint for Jenn only ended a couple of months ago. I would have noticed if there was suddenly an Assistant Director."

"You guys should definitely think about pulling your heads out of your asses." Ziva said, shaking her head, and Tony shot McGee a look that clearly read '_now_ she gets the sayings down?!'. "Assistant Director Jessica Shaw. She's twenty-seven, tiny, blonde, always seems to be moving at a pace no slower than a run? She dropped off our lunch order last week. She's always on the news doing press conferences."

"Whoa now." Tony said. "You mean to say that Special Agent Jessica Shaw is the _Assistant Director_ of NCIS?" He exclaimed, and Ziva nodded.

"I go out to lunch with her and Jenny like, once a week." She said, and couldn't help but roll her eyes at Tony and McGee's ignorance. "She got the position about three months ago, Jenny had her office redone. You must remember this. It was the talk of the agency for weeks, how someone so young could have gotten the position."

"I had no idea." McGee said, and Tony nodded.

"I hate to say I'm thinking on the same plane as McProbius, but I had no idea either."

"Well then it's a good thing someone is keeping up for you, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he breezed through the squad room and towards his desk. If there was anything that weirded Tony out, it was Gibbs' ability to jump in on any conversation without any warning as he came out of nowhere. "David, McGee, give Tony back his paperwork." He said as he logged onto his computer, and the agents complied, shooting smug, satisfied looks at Tony as they did so.

x-x-x

The case briefing came and went, and Jessica found herself standing in front of the conference table staring down at the bags upon bags of Chinese takeout that looked like they could feed about ten people. She pulled her blackberry from the waistband of her skirt and was about to dial Jenny's number when the redhead walked through the office doors, shooting Jessica a friendly smile.

"Good, the food arrived." She said.

"Yeah." Jessica said, and smirked at the redhead. "Might want to finish tucking in your blouse, Jenn." She said, pointing to the side of Jenny's blouse that had come untucked, or hadn't been tucked back in. Jenny quickly fixed her shirt, shooting a thankful look at Jessica. "Storage room rendezvous?"

"Second one today." Jenny admitted, blushing, and Jessica laughed.

"Jeez, you're like a machine, woman!" She said jokingly, and the two women laughed. They'd become the best of friends almost as soon as Jessica had started her job, mostly because they decided it would be easier to be acquaintances than enemies with all the time they'd be spending together. Not that either of them could ever even begin to imagine disliking the other.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've invited Gibbs' team to join us for lunch." Jenny said, and Jessica shrugged.

"No problem. New faces are always nice, whether they're being stuffed with Chinese food or not." She said, smiling in the easy, warm way she always did.

"I was thinking, if you're up to it, you could overlook the investigation for me?" Jenny said, a certain hopefulness lining her tone. She watched as Jessica's expression took on an excited sort of light, and the young blonde was smiling widely as she replied.

"Oh course, I'd be honoured to. Thank you so much."

"Well," Jenny started, looking at her watch. "The team probably won't be up for another fifteen minutes or so, so there probably isn't much point to you standing and wasting valuable energy." She said, smiling, and Jessica rolled her eyes laughing.

"Of course, mother." She commented as she made her way towards her desk, thumping down in her seat. She was kind of looking forward to getting to meet Gibbs' team, save for him and Ziva, of course, who she'd met long ago and eaten out with countless times. She leaned back and let out a long breath, and, reminding herself of an inpatient child on Christmas Eve, hoped the fifteen minutes would pass quickly.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for another short chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise, and hopefully less incomplete-feeling, too. :)


	3. Small talk and secrets

**Title:** The Assistant Director.

**Rating:** M for anticipated future content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything affiliated with NCIS. Sadly.

**Summary:** There's a 'new girl' roaming the halls (and MTAC balcony) of NCIS. Just who is she, and what is her story? AU because Jenny still exists. Rated M for anticipated future content.

* * *

Chapter 3: Small talk and secrets.

* * *

"Oh, hey, Agent Shaw." McGee said, clearly feeling awkward upon having walked into the Director's office to see Jessica there.

"It's Jessica, if you like." The young blonde replied, smiling, and McGee nodded.

"Shall we take a seat?" Jenny asked, walking towards the large conference table with Jessica, gesturing to it as she did. The four agents that had just entered the office nodded and each claimed a seat as their own, so that Ziva and Tony were sitting next to each other on one side, Gibbs was sitting at the end, and McGee was sitting opposite Ziva and Tony on his own. Jessica took the free seat beside McGee, and Jenny sat opposite Gibbs. They dug through the takeout bags, finding their orders and began to eat in a more-than-awkward silence.

"Chicken chow mein again, Jess?" Gibbs commented, and Jessica nodded.

"Yeah, unlike you I tend to stick to what I know. It avoids such things as the ginger chicken fiasco of last month." Jessica said, smiling, and Gibbs chuckled.

"You guys eat lunch together often?" McGee asked, and Jessica shrugged.

"Couple times a week, usually." She said, and Jenny nodded.

"He can't help himself. He needs to hear all the gossip from up here." She said, chuckling.

"So how long have you been living in the city, Jessica?" Tony asked, and Jessica shrugged.

"Well, I worked with the FBI for a couple of years, and I was here a little before that, so, it's probably about three years now." Jessica said. "But I don't live in the city, I've got a house about fifteen minutes off-base."

"So what did you do with the FBI?" McGee asked.

"Mostly PR work. Nothing too terribly exciting." Jessica replied.

"Jessica went to medical school." Ziva informed Tony and McGee.

"Seriously?" McGee said, and Jessica nodded.

"Yeah, but my scholarship ran out after two years, so I ended up job-searching so that I could go back, and ended up getting a job with the FBI." She replied before taking a sip from the water bottle in front of her. "But enough about me." She said, clapping her hands in an enthusiastic manner before reaching for her container of Chinese food. "I want to hear about you guys!"

"Jessica is overlooking the investigation." Jenny explained, and the agents nodded their understanding. Jessica turned to McGee, smiling.

"Tell me something interesting about yourself." She said, and sat back in her seat, listening along with the other agents as he spoke.

x-x-x

A week passed before they got the chance to eat as a group again, and now Tony was on his way to the locker room after lunch to get his windbreaker out of his locker. He strode into the deserted room, making his way to his locker when he heard it. Someone gagging. Frowning out of curiosity and slight concern, he made his way towards the washroom, and cast his eyes down to the floor to check and see if there was anyone in the stalls. A breath caught in his throat when he saw the black heels- the four-inch Christian Louboutins with the criss-cross strap across the front that she claimed were killer on the feet, but looked so good with anything and everything. _She_ being Assistant Director Shaw, the beautiful blonde that had been jokingly named Jenny's 'partner in crime'. She shuffled and got up, and he took off like a shot towards his locker to get what he had come for, fumbling with the lock a few times because his hands were shaking so badly. Maybe she was just sick- she _had_ ordered something with shrimp in it today from the Chinese place. Or maybe it was morning sickness- she could be pregnant for all he knew, it wasn't like she'd told the team her life story since starting to overlook the investigation they were working on. He snatched his jacket from his locker and slammed the metal contraption shut before taking off towards the door, head down, and brought his head up again when he collided with something, or rather, some_one_. Reaching out quickly to grab her arm, he righted her balance, and she shot him a look of thanks. They stood there awkwardly for a few moments in front of the door before Tony finally spoke.

"You alright? I thought I heard you getting sick." He asked, and she could hear the concern in his tone. She cleared her throat and straightened a little, as if standing any straighter was even possible for her, and nodded.

"Yeah, I forgot about my whole issue with shrimp. Nothing to worry about." She replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Excuse me." She said, and walked past him and out of the locker room.

He would have believed her if, when he walked into the locker room a few days later shortly after lunch to retrieve Ziva's sweater from her locker, he didn't hear gagging again. Walking towards the washroom, he scanned the gap between the stall doors and the floor, and this time saw the gorgeous pair of tan suede Gucci five-inch heels she'd been sauntering around in all morning. These were by far the most extreme of the torture devices she usually wore on her feet, running around all day with file folders and coffee cups and miraculously never, ever breaking a heel or falling flat on her face. And this time, he knew she hadn't ordered a shrimp dish. In fact, they hadn't even gotten Chinese. She'd left the team in charge of ordering lunch, and they'd ordered pizza. Again, she shuffled in the stall, stood and flushed, and this time he didn't rush back to his locker, embarrassed that he'd just heard the Assistant Director of NCIS puking up her lunch. No, this time, he took a seat on one of the many benches that sat between the rows of lockers, faced the bathroom door, and waited for her to exit the stall. She did a few minutes later, washing her hands and fixing her makeup and hair in the mirror before turning on one of the seven-hundred dollar high heels she was wearing and starting towards the door. And that's when she saw him. Her eyes widened, and her Chanel bag fell to the floor, and at the back of his mind, he was a little jealous that she owned so many gorgeous designer items. In fact, he was pretty sure everything she owned- right down to the bobby pin in her hair- was designer.

"Tony." She said, quickly collecting herself, but not quick enough. Her reaction had told him all he needed to know- she'd been caught.

"Jessica." Tony said, standing. "Why?"

"I don't think I have to remind you that I'm the _Assistant Director_." She said, in a threatening tone, her eyes narrowed slightly. Tony had suspected she might try to use her title as a shield.

"No, you don't." Tony said, and that's when Gibbs strolled in. Jessica rolled her eyes, possibly the most human and unladylike thing either man had ever seen her do.

"Everything okay?" Gibbs asked, a confused look on his face after having just seen _Jessica Shaw_ roll her eyes.

"Yeah. I was just leaving, actually." Jessica said, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder before breezing past the two men, heels clicking on the tile floor, head held as high as possible. Gibbs waited until he was sure she was out of earshot before he spoke.

"Something you want to tell me, DiNozzo?" He said, frowning, and Tony nodded.

"Yeah, actually." He said. "I think there's something wrong with Jessica."

"Well, yes, no one can be as perfectly mannered as she is, but that's no reason to judge her..." Gibbs trailed off when he realized that wasn't what Tony was referring to. "She's a big girl, DiNozzo. Shaw can take care of herself."

"Did you know that she probably has an eating disorder?" Tony asked, and Gibbs nodded.

"Jenny and I always suspected it." He said quietly. "But you have to remember who we're dealing with. She's not a fellow agent. She's the _Assistant Director_."

"So I've been told." Tony said. Gibbs chuckled.

"She played that card, did she?"

"Yeah, and she plays it surprisingly well." Tony replied, nodding.

"C'mon, let's go see what the _Assistant Director_ has to tell us today." Gibbs said, clapping the younger agent on the back as they exited the locker room.

x-x-x

"So, we'll be touching base with the local PD on this one, so I hope you're all people-persons. I like to use my resources as much as I can, and I have a feeling we'll need as many resources as possible on this one." Jessica said to the team as they stared down the conference table at her.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of the team, here, but I for one _love_ people." Tony said, flashing one of his famous grins at Jessica, who merely smiled politely in return.

"Tony, the only people you love are those of the XX chromosome variety." McGee said, rolling his eyes, and Ziva attempted to stifle a chuckle.

"Well, _Elf Lord_, at least I have a few women in my life." Tony replied in return, the look on his face indicating that he was clearly pleased with himself. Gibbs jumped in when McGee opened his mouth to reply, not wanting to have to sit through yet another juvenile argument between the two agents.

"Will you be joining us in the field, Jessica?" He asked, and the young blonde standing before them shook her head.

"No, I haven't completed the coursework required to clear me for field work yet, so I'll be chilling here while you guys get your hands dirty." She said, smiling at the team before reaching out to grab the coffee cup sitting in front of her, filled with what they knew was some sort of herbal tea.

It hadn't taken the team very long to figure out the young blonde. Since she'd set up shop in the squad room in the spare desk cubicle, they'd been able to observe her very closely. Herbal tea showed up when she was particularly stressed or tired, and she gnawed on pink peppermints when she was frustrated. She was extremely quiet, which both Gibbs and Ziva claimed to be a factor of her unfamiliarity with the team, and she smiled a lot.

"So, you guys ready to head out?" She prompted, and everyone sprang to their feet in an instant, mumbling assent as they did so, gathering up their papers and files and coffee cups and stepping towards the door of the spacious office that Jenny and Jessica called their own. Jessica had begun to collect her own papers and file folders when she heard someone clear their throat in the way that indicated they wanted attention, and her head snapped up to see Tony standing in the doorway, propping it open with his foot.

"What are the chances you're not doing anything after-shift today?" He said, and Jessica shrugged.

"Pretty good, I'd say." She said. "Why?"

"I know a place that makes the best cheeseburger you'll ever have." Tony replied, grinning, and Jessica smiled.

"And?"

"And I was wondering if the Assistant Director of NCIS would like to join me for a meal?"

"I'd love to." Jessica replied, still smiling.

"So, we'll chat later?" Tony said, making a move to exit the room.

"Of course." Jessica replied, and couldn't wipe the smile off of her face for a good five minutes after the door had swung shut behind him.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so it took me a disgustingly long amount of time to finally update, and I'm sorry! I can't promise regular updates for the next little bit due to returning to school and writing exams, but I promise I'll do my best! Ha ha, don't hate me for my lack of updates...hate AP courses for gobbling up all my free time! ;) Hopefully this was worth the wait! Sorry again for the really long wait!


End file.
